Kitchen remodel questions
iseethesunrise
4 years ago
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Kitchen remodel question - can bathroom door face kitchen?
Comments (15)I just purchased a home, which had the powder room entrance in the kitchen. I also couldn't bare the thought of this, and we wound up relocating the room entry into a closet which is off the dining room (basically, a butler's pantry of sorts). Now, you'll enter the large closet (we're taking off the door of the closet) and turn right, and enter into the bathroom. It gives the effect of entering a small "hallway" off the dining area, instead of actually entering from the room itself. I'm still debating whether or not taking off the door is the right thing to do. My architect thinks so, but maybe putting on a door with opaque glass might be better, just to give the illusion of 2 place to go through, instead of one before entering the toilet area since there still is the problem of someone sitting at the far end of the dining table being able to see the door to the bathroom (it will, of course, be kept close when not in use). Not perfect, but 100% better than where it was (or, the original entry which was IN the dining room - the prior owner had it relocated to the kitchen)....See MoreKitchen Remodel Question
Comments (9)A dishwasher is universal so it's a fairly easy swap. I don't understand whether you have a free standing stove or a cooktop and separate wall ovens. A freestanding stove is also fairly interchangeable as they are a standard 30" width. You would however be eliminating the possibility of a slide-in stove which some people like because it eliminates the gaps at the side. Or if for some reason you wanted to significantly upgrade your choice of stove to a larger type of model. A cooktop is a bit trickier because you would have to retrofit it to your existing counter so installation would be a cost factor. If I knew that I was remodeling within that period of time I would attempt to keep the existing cooktop unless it was completely non-functional. Whether a kitchen can be done in phases, really depends on what you are planning to do. If you are keeping existing cabinets and just doing cosmetic stuff like new counters, you don't have to do it all at once. People do cosmetic updates to discrete aspects of their kitchens all the time. Certain things - even as a cosmetic update - are done together though as you would generally replace the sink, faucets and counter at the same time and generally also might install a new garbage disposal as well. However, if you are planning to really do a gut remodel by changing cabinets, it would be difficult to do it in stages because you are essentially gutting the kitchen and rebuilding it. Most people would take the opportunity to change the floor since the flooring runs under the cabinets. There really isn't any aspect of the kitchen that would be left once the cabinets are gone. Also you would probably find that you would need to upgrade electrical as well at the same time to meet current Code requirements....See MoreKitchen remodel process questions.
Comments (25)We only interviewed *1* contractor. This was for a whole house remodel/addition - including the kitchen overhaul. We called several contractors; they told us to call them back after when we had completed drawings for the project. This contractor ("GC") asked to be present at our first meeting with the designer. This first meeting with the designer took place during the house inspection (we were in the process of buying the house); GC attended that meeting. He arrived on time, gave advice about the project; he acted like we had already signed the contract with him, even though we had just met. Shortly after we had the drawings, GC asked to do a walk through with his subcontractors. He brought them out, handed them their sets of plans (that he had printed for them), and discussed the entire project - again, acting like he had already signed the contract with us (he hadn't). A short time later he stopped at the lumber yard and brought us a borrowed set of siding samples to help us make a decision about which siding to use. I know that the "rule" is that you should get bids from at least 3 contractors for any project, but GC has a great reputation, and although we did trim a few things from his bid, we think he is being fair. We aren't builders (although we have some knowledge of the process; my husband is an engineer), so we couldn't completely evaluate an estimate. And - GC has been an integral part of this project from the very beginning, effectively edging out any other contractors (in a nice way). Frankly, I admire his technique! I think he'll do a good job. We still haven't signed a contract with GC - expect to do that this week. Which is a good thing, since he has been busy getting his subcontractors in place - we need to make the deal official before he actually starts work. :-) Short answer: I don't think multiple bids are necessary. Ask around. If the contractor has a great reputation and if you are comfortable with him, that may be enough....See Morekitchen remodel questions
Comments (14)You don't have room for an island at all in the kitchen itself. Your Kitchen is only 118.5" wide 118.5" - 25.5" for the sink counter (not counting any appliances) - 42" aisle b/w island and sink counter [bare minimum aisle width] - 27"D island ======= 24" for an aisle behind the island. The minimum it should be is 36" to squeeze by when someone is sitting at the island; you're a foot short. (44" is the minimum recommended, another 8" more) Plus, that 42" aisle is the minimum for only one person working on the aisle, not for more than one. Are you a one-person household? I assume not since you say "we". For two or more people, the minimum work aisle is 48". The island would not be able to have standard cabinets. You need 15" overhang + 1" for decorative door/end panel on the back of the cabinets + 1.5" counter overhang in the front of the island...that leaves you with cabinets no more than 9.5" deep. It would also mean no appliances on the right wall, so the refrigerator will need to be moved to either the sink wall or the top wall. The peninsula layout is much better than the island idea. In fact, anyone telling you an island will work either doesn't understand kitchen design at all or is lying to you. I know you don't want to hear that. Islands are all the rage right now, but not all Kitchens can support an island....See Moreiseethesunrise
4 years agoiseethesunrise
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